Find out what Jupiter’s early days reveal about us in this one minute read
- Jupiter was once a cosmic balloon: It used to be twice as big as it is now – that’s the equivalent of 8,000 Earths fitting inside it.
- A powerful force: Its supercharged magnetic field was 50 times stronger, influencing the whole Solar System.
- Why we’re here: Jupiter’s wild moves helped shape the paths of the planets – including Earth’s.
- Clues from tiny moons: Scientists cracked this mystery by studying two of Jupiter’s smallest, oft-overlooked moons.
- A window into our origins: Understanding Jupiter’s past helps explain how our own planet – and life – came to be.
It’s astonishing that even after 4.5 billion years, enough clues remain to let us reconstruct Jupiter’s physical state at the dawn of its existence
Fred C. Adams